LOCAL officials of Puerto Galera led by Mayor Robinhood Ylagan inspect the state-of-the-art floating dock at Minolo Port on Monday, April 20. (Jerry Alcayde)
CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro - Puerto Galera is preparing to become a cruise ship destination in support of the government’s appeal to all international cruise companies to include the country in their travel itinerary.
Mayor Robinhood Ylagan said they have prepared at least five coastal sites where plastic floating dock cubes were properly placed that serve as ramp or platform for incoming vessels to the port area.
On Monday, April 20, Ylagan, together with Vice Mayor Rocky Ilagan and Municipal Engineer Geraldin Bacay, inspected the Minolo, Sabang, and Muelle Cultural Heritage ports where floating dock jetties have been constructed. Similar structures were also built in San Antonio and Dalauran.
Vice Mayor Ilagan said the floating docks were implemented thru a P41-million grant from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), a government agency attached to the Department of Tourism that supervises infrastructure development in tourism zones.
He said floating docks are the economically prudent way of supporting the government cruise tourism initiative as they are designed with multi-purpose functions while preserving the environment and the town’s cultural assets.
The vice mayor emphasized that the floating docks are designed to help reduce carbon footprint and environmental impact, eventually avoiding irreversible effects on the marine ecosystem.
The floating dock cubes are made of ultra-high molecular polythelene that can last to 15 to 20 years, according to Hisea Dock Philippines, the TIEZA contractor.
Puerto Galera, the premiere tourist destination of Oriental Mindoro, is a popular summer and weekend getaway for local and tourist visitors with its stunning white beaches, thrilling dive and snorkeling sites, and relaxing nightlife.
Recently, DOT announced that the country registered 76,188 cruise passengers on board 26 cruise ships that made port calls from January to February this year in different parts of the country.